


The Peverell Heirlooms

by inspiration_assaulted



Series: Building a Home [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 14:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1032526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inspiration_assaulted/pseuds/inspiration_assaulted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Outtake/deleted scene from Chapter Six of Guardianship</p>
<p>Harry's bedtime story retells the Tale of Three Brothers</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Peverell Heirlooms

“This is the true story of the Deathly Hallows. This, Regulus, is the greatest story of the Ancient House of Peverell and its oldest Heirlooms…”

_Centuries ago, when the House of Peverell stood strong, the names of its three sons were known throughout the world. The three brothers were powerful wizards, descended from Merlin himself, and each had devoted his life to his chosen area of study._

_Antioch, the oldest and Heir, was a master wandmaker and scholar of wandlore, and a duelist, greater than any seen before or since. His magic was so strong, it shattered the wands of his opponents. Antioch had never been beaten or disarmed in a duel. He wished to make a wand capable of using all his power, for the wand he used was too weak for him._

_Cadmus, the second brother, was fascinated by the fragile line between Life and Death. He spent his days thinking on it. Some say that Cadmus was a Necromancer, a user of Death-magic. Others say it was just a morbid curiosity. Either way, he spent his life thinking about death and life and immortality. It was the work of Cadmus Peverell that created the Veil that stands deep underground in the Department of Mysteries, the hidden doorway to the Beyond._

_Ignotus, the youngest, was a true master in Charms and Transfiguration, but reclusive as well. He wanted no share of the attention his brothers brought to the family, Antioch with his fame, Cadmus with his infamy. Ignotus wanted only to pursue his studies and teach at Hogwarts. He was tired of trying to avoid his brothers’ followers, and he was frustrated with the poor quality of invisibility devices of the time. Ignotus worked to find a way of perfect invisibility._

_Many years passed, and the brothers continued to work. The more widely known Antioch and Cadmus became, the harder they worked. The more attention and followers his brothers gained, the more desperately Ignotus worked. By the time each had finished their tasks, their father had died, leaving Antioch as Lord Peverell._

_One day, the brothers set out, Heirlooms in hand, to test their mettle and to show the world of the power of what they had done._

_On the eve of the first day, the brothers stopped in a tavern for food, drink, and lodgings. Happy with success, they drank too much mead and began to brag intemperately._

_Antioch told of meeting Death by a river and cheating him, forcing him to give them gifts of unrivalled power. He held up his wand, made of Elder wood, and claimed Death had made it for him, and it could not be beaten._

_Cadmus showed his small stone, telling of embarrassing Death further with the power to recall others from Death._

_Ignotus, ever timid and unwilling to boast, brought out his Cloak of Invisibility, saying it was Death’s own cloak and the means with which Death caught many unaware._

_Foolhardy with mead, the brothers slept deeply that night and without caution, and they did not cast the spells to wake them in case of attack._

_And so, when the witching hour struck, a poor and unworthy man snuck into the chamber in which the great and undefeated duelist Antioch slept. The man cut his throat and stole the Elder Wand before fleeing into the night._

_And so Antioch Peverell died, a death without honor._

_What the thief did not know was that the Elder Wand did not have a usual wand core that would change allegiance. The core of Antioch’s was made of the blood of his veins and the bone of his ancestors. Blood calls to blood, and the Elder Wand will never willingly be possessed by someone without Peverell blood in his veins. That is why every owner of the wand since Antioch has failed to use it truly and died._

_When Cadmus and Ignotus woke, they learned of their folly and the price Antioch had paid for it. They decided to return home. The remaining Heirlooms could have proved too tempting for more thieves on their journey._

_When they returned, Cadmus was told that his Intended had drowned in an accident by the river. Distraught, he turned to his Stone to summon her back to Life. He had his Resurrection Stone fashioned into a ring, so that his love would always be with him._

_Alas, all his work could not return his love to true Life. She was only a Shade, cursed with a painful imitation of Life. Unable to truly be with her, Cadmus hanged himself in his rooms._

_And so Cadmus Peverell died, a death of a fool._

_Ignotus, the youngest, became Lord Peverell. Believing the Heirlooms to be cursed by Death, he told no one of his Cloak of True Invisibility except his son and Heir. He continued his work in Charms and taught at Hogwarts as Head of Slytherin House. Ignotus lived a long, full life and saw his great-grandson’s first son born before he embrace Death as an old friend._

_And so Ignotus Peverell died, a death of a wise man, leaving the Resurrection Stone and Cloak of Invisibility to his Heir, and the Elder Wand lost to history._

“Ignotus’s blood runs in the Houses of Potter, Gaunt, and Slytherin, Regulus. It runs once in me, and twice in me. I tell you this story so that you will understand that the Deathly Hallows are not toys or fairytales, but ancient and powerful magical Heirlooms that you will receive one day, and I want you to remember this story and be careful.”


End file.
